New York uncovers wool

[New York] The Campaign for Wool kicked off Wool Week here Sept. 27 at Bryant Park with its “Wool Uncovered” promotional event. Sponsored by His Royal Highness (HRH) The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, and backed by big name companies such as Gensler, Brintons, Godfrey Hirst, Langhorne and ABC Carpet & Home, the Wool Salon at Bryant Park was designed as an installation piece to raise consumer awareness on the many economic and environmental benefits of purchasing wool products.

“The Campaign for Wool started in 2010 by HRH The Prince of Wales,” explained John Thorley, president of the Campaign for Wool. “He was concerned about wool losing ground, and asked, ‘Why don’t we do something about it?’ It was important to look at the people involved and ask, ‘What do we want out of it [the campaign]? How can we supply wool to make the best use of it?’ ” said Thorley.
Brigitte Kelly, executive director of interiors for the Campaign for Wool, said the goal was to create an outdoor living space — a wool salon.

“We came to New York because this market is valuable to the industry, and wanted the flagship event to be held here. Tom [Vecchione, principal at Gensler] and I curated ideas to make this event impactful — to make it less like a trade show and more like an installation.”
Executives attending the event agreed that one of the most important missions of the event is to eradicate misconceptions consumers may have on purchasing natural fibers. Wool, which is in a small percentage of North American homes, is seen as a high-end, luxury fiber. Consumers, executives said, see wool as needy or difficult to maintain. However, the Campaign for Wool plans to educate the consumer on its many benefits over synthetic fibers.

Mark Oldfield, vice president of sales, Americas for Brintons Carpets, said, “Wool is extremely fire retardant; it does not ignite so it is great for commercial use, such as in hotels and casinos. It’s also an easy fiber to dye, allowing it to create beautiful carpets and rugs.”

Laurie Bray, marketing manager for Godfrey Hirst USA, said, “Our intention, as a manufacturer, is to increase the awareness of wool. The U.S. is such a synthetic market. But, what is interesting, is that synthetics try to emulate all of the benefits of wool, which are natural to the fiber and not man made like synthetics. As Wool Week kicks off in the U.S., we will carry it through with our dealers — offering POP materials and other sales benefits.”

Chris Harrison, operations director at Vi Spring which utilizes natural Shetland wool from the Shetland Islands for its custom made mattresses, said wool helps promote the local economy.
“We support Shetland’s native wool trade by paying a fair price for their fleeces. This has helped attract people back into sheep farming,” said Harrison.

Rachael Ginsburg Weiner, sales associate at Floors Etc. said that when it comes to purchasing wool products, it all comes down to price.
“The challenge will be to sell to both the commercial and residential customer. We live in an organic world and wool is a great organic product.”
Flooring America recently introduced its Just Shorn branded wool collection to its members. According to Keith Spano, president, the launch was designed to bring more attention and prominence to wool within its product offering.

“This program is one more way to differentiate ourselves from the competition through innovative merchandising. The Just Shorn wool launch is a cross division CCA brand that will be featured throughout the co-op and franchise locations, we’re excited about the opportunities for growth in wool,” he said.

According to Krista Eliason, president of the International Design Guild (IDG), the campaign is strongly focusing on wool’s environmental attributes
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“We’re linking wool back to the land and sustainability, and where it comes from. We’re going to support the campaign through social media, marketing and websites,” she said.
Langhorne Carpet Company was also in attendance to celebrate the start of Wool Week, showcasing its Jacquard Wilton carpet.

Bill Morrow, president at Langhorne, was one of the many industry executives present at the event. “It is our honor to be included in the kickoff of the Campaign in America and to help educate consumers about the vast benefits of wool over its synthetic, petroleum-based competitors.”
A great supplement to the Wool Uncovered event was the Wool Book, published by Fabulous Floors magazine. Publisher and editor in chief Margo Locust was on hand to discuss the indepth wool information contained in the book.